Many could be forgiven for thinking, as I did, that this is a complete
concert performance of Bruckner’s F minor Mass. The front cover of
the DVD does not lead you to suspect otherwise. It is only when reading
the small print on the back that you discover that this is a documentary
of rehearsal and performance sequences by the director Jan Schmidt-Garre.
This is disappointing, and I feel that this should have been made clear
on the front cover. Furthermore, the only date given is a publishing date
of 1993 and, having watched the film three times, I am totally confused
as to the chronology of the events documented. As the title suggests, the
focus of the DVD is on the St. Florian performance, which I would presume
took place in 1993. The rehearsal sequences in the church would likewise
be from that occasion. I noticed that in the rehearsals in the Philharmonic
Concert Hall, the orchestra has a different leader. Also, the bass here
is Matthias Holle, whereas in St. Florian it is Hans Sotin. This leads me
to suspect that the rehearsal excerpts in the concert hall are from an earlier
date, a fact corroborated by the date of March 1990 on the EMI Classics
CD (56702) of the Mass, which has the same soloists, including Holle.

Yet there are many positive aspects to this documentary. As always with
Celibidache, his is a very personal approach. His tempi are on the broad
side, especially if you compare the speeds with Jochum (DG 447 409), a benchmark
recording of this work for me. Yet, in this work, Celi’s tempi do
seem to work, allowing the textures to emerge. Throughout, the documentary
gives us some insight into the maestro’s profound musicianship and
devotion to the score. He knows the work inside out, directing both the
performance and indeed the rehearsals without a score. He is a great source
of inspiration for the orchestra, choir and soloists alike. Like Carlos
Kleiber, Celi demanded and had the luxury of more rehearsal time than most
other conductors.

What is also evident from the film is his attention to detail. He is concerned
at all times with orchestral/choral balance, and shaping the musical phrases
into a coherent whole. Phrasing and dynamics are also an important factor.
He criticizes Brucknerian scholars like Loewe, who incorrectly substituted
the time signature alla breve for 4/4 in the Gloria,which
was Bruckner’s intention, ‘it is the Credo in 2’
he emphatically states. His interaction with the performers is fascinating.
He switches from German to English quite readily. Indeed I have heard it
said that he could speak several languages fluently. His smile is beguiling,
and he frequently praises the performers, always showing them great courtesy.
He is on first name terms with some of the principals. He loses his temper
only once at the beginning of the film when he decides that he wants the
choir to be moved forward to accommodate the acoustic problems of St. Florian.
This necessitates the orchestra being rearranged. When one poor man questions
the logistics of this move, Celi forcefully insists that his demands are
carried out without question.

Throughout, the documentary switches between orchestral rehearsal, orchestral/choir
rehearsal, piano/choir rehearsal and concert performance. All five performers
- including the interchangeable basses - are excellent. It is poignant to
see the soprano Margaret Price, who died two years ago in 2011.

As a five-minute bonus we get a small filmed extract of the maestro’s
trip to Moscow with the Munich Philharmonic in 1988. The film appears very
dated and grainy, and looks as though it was shot in the 1960s. It shows
part of a press conference that Celi gave, and ends with an orchestral rehearsal
of the Russian and German national anthems. His remarks to the orchestra
at the end are salutary: ‘Keep the discipline. You are being filmed
and watched’.

It is extremely disappointing that a complete performance of the Mass is
not included. After all, the duration of the DVD is only 65 minutes and
presumably the entire St. Florian performance was filmed anyway. There is
no separate booklet, and the only documentation is an interview between
Schmidt-Garre and the conductor, printed on the inside cover of the DVD
case. Nevertheless, it is good to see the great maestro at work, and budding
conductors will learn a great deal from this film, though I cannot help
feeling that many acquiring this DVD will, in the end, feel short-changed.

Stephen Greenbank

Some good insights into Celibadache’s rehearsal technique, but many
will feel short-changed at the end of this DVD.